There’s much to be anxious about these days. If you feel pressure, it doesn’t make you bad, sinful, or weak. It’s no different than your ears popping when your Boeing 737 climbs to a higher altitude. 

I’m studying the word anxiety in the Bible, oftentimes translated worry. But get this. Its base meaning isn’t a negative one at all. It has the sense of care or concern.

It’s used positively in 1 Corinthians 7:32, where the apostle Paul mentions a man being “concerned about the Lord’s affairs,” and in 1 Corinthians 12:25, reminding believers with different abilities and interests to have “equal concern for each other.” 

So how does concern turn into anxiety? It’s like a rocking chair. 

Care or concern rocks gently, content in the moment, not even realizing that it’s rocking. Slow. Peaceful. Relaxed. Mindful of the pressure points but not mastered by them. Happy to be rocking.

Worry or anxiety rocks fast and furious, trying to actually get somewhere, do something, make things happen. And the more it tries to control these, the more overwhelming it feels. So it tries even harder and rocks even faster. Lots of activity but getting nowhere. 

So how will you handle the pressure today?

There are many things God can do better without your help. Rock gently. Relax in this moment, and see what God can do.